Friday, January 26, 2018

Is Your Uber air Freshener Making You Sick?

Is Your Uber Air Freshener Making You Sick?

Posted on: Tuesday, March 7th 2017 at 9:30 am
Written By: Kelly Brogan, M.D.

Originally published on KellyBroganMD.com.
Millions are unwittingly being exposed to air fresheners laced with toxic, synthetic chemicals.  
I opened the window to the 27 degree NYC air. My driver asked if I wanted him to turn the heat off, and I said, “no it’s the air freshener. It’s really too much.” 
“Too much?! You’re supposed to like it!” he exclaimed with exasperation in his thick Greek accent. 
Thus ensued a discussion about the little known risks to both drivers, passengers, and other unwitting air breathers in today’s service industries. 
He unclipped his noxious Glade stink bomb and put it in his glove box. He said that I was “sweet” so he would do it for me.
I’m hoping that more drivers will do it for other reasons – the very reasons we are here to uncover today so that we can secure truly fresh air in public spaces…
VOC Nation
We are being exposed to air fresheners more and more in our shared-ride economy. It’s almost like we’ve gotten used to fake coverups and now feel that, no matter what the world looks like, or what a car smells like, we can create an illusion of ok-ness.
Many people are connecting the dots, recognizing that that air “fresheners” give them headaches, itchiness, and coughs. But what exactly are in air fresheners?
It’s not easy to find the answer to this question. Generally, air fresheners are made of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which are synthetic chemicals that can float through the air. I tried hunting down the ingredients in Febreze Car Vent Clips, one of the most popular air fresheners used by Uber drivers. I was amazed to see that the three ingredients listed on the Febreze website are “odor blockers, odor eliminators, and fragrance.”


Ingredients listed on Febreze website.
What does that actually mean?! Clicking through the site leads to several dead-ends, but after searching the ingredients on this Procter & Gamble page, I found an alarming 19-page list of potential fragrance ingredients (1).

Page 1 (of 19) of potential fragrance chemicals in Febreze air fresheners (1).

There are too many unpronounceable chemicals to investigate one-by-one. But we can probably agree that the sheer number of synthetic chemicals potentially found in air fresheners is scary. Let’s examine some of the most common air freshener ingredients.
Benzene, and styrene, and phthalates, oh my!
A large study that analyzed 74 popular air fresheners (2) found that they contain over 350 chemical and allergenic VOCs. VOCs found in air fresheners include benzene, formaldehyde, styrene, and phthalates. Many of these VOCs are known carcinogens that can damage your health and the health of your future children.
Benzene has been classified as a known carcinogen by the EPA, WHO, and other agencies (3). Benzene damages DNA and has been linked to human mutations. Similarly, formaldehyde is classified as a human carcinogen (4) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the National Toxicology Program. Alarmingly, epidemiological studies link chronic exposure to either benzene or formaldehyde to leukemia (5, 6). 
Short term exposure to styrene can induce nausea, impaired balance, and allergies. Several studies have shown that long-term styrene exposure adversely affects the Central Nervous System (CNS). Epidemiologic studies show that styrene workers had increased mortality or incidences of cancers like leukemia and lymphoma (7).
Many air fresheners contain phthalates, a group of man-made chemicals that disperse fragrances. People have been wary of phthalates since the 1990s because of their hormone-disrupting effects. While some phthalates have been banned from toys, phthalates are still used in many consumer products like plastic containers, cosmetics, fragrances, furniture, and air fresheners. 
In 2007, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) tested 14 popular air fresheners that did not list phthalates as an ingredient (8). Several of these air fresheners were marketed as “unscented” or “all natural.” Yet, 12 of these 14 fresheners contained phthalates!

Twelve of 14 tested “all natural” air fresheners contain phthalates! (8)
Why does this hidden ingredient matter? When phthalates are released in the air, they can enter your bloodstream through skin contact and inhalation. These are small molecules that easily cross skin and lung barriers (9). 
If you’ve coughed or felt itchy after spending time in a hired car like Uber with overpowering air freshener, you’re not alone. Phthalates have been shown to worsen allergic symptoms, especially asthma and eczema (10). One study found that men with high urinary levels of phthalates suffered from impaired lung function (11).
The effects of phthalates can go beyond short-term discomforts. Known hormone disruptors, phthalates are linked to reproductive and developmental toxicities (12). Phthalates can also mess with your thyroid.
One study found that phthalate exposure harmed men’s fertility.  Men with high urine phthalate concentrations had low levels of reproductive hormones and high levels of DNA damage in sperm cells (13). Another study showed that phthalate exposure increased the risk of endometriosis in women (14). Further, women with higher phthalate levels had more pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia and spontaneous abortion (15). And yet another study showed that phthalates led to implantation failure during in vitro fertilization.
To recap: the VOCs found in air fresheners, especially formaldehyde, benzene, styrene, and phthalates, can harm your skin, lungs, hormones, and fertility. Unfortunately, most air fresheners will not list these ingredients. 
Know better, do better: ditch VOCs
Thankfully, there are natural ways to aromatherapize a shared airspace. 
Baking soda and charcoal are effective deodorizers. In my office, I diffuse essential oils. Essential oils subtly enhance both the scent of the space and the experience of being in it. Since cars, particularly new ones, are already a minefield of off-gassing chemicals (16), let’s not add insult to injury.
Let Uber’s CEO know you care, and remember that voting with your dollar is a powerful form of activism. 
References
  1.  http://www.pgproductsafety.com/productsafety/ingredients/Perfume_and_Scents.pdf
  2.  http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/04_scher/docs/scher_o_026.pdf
  3.  https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/benzene.html
  4.  https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/content/profiles/formaldehyde.pdf
  5.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3447593/
  6.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2839060/
  7.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3165940/
  8.  https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/fairfresheners.pdf
  9.  http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-80340-6_17
  10. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3838079?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
  11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1241923/
  12. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438463907001125
  13. http://oem.bmj.com/content/62/11/806.full
  14.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12832380 
  15. http://oem.bmj.com/content/62/11/806.full
  16.  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1001074213604593 








Dr. Brogan is boarded in Psychiatry/Psychosomatic Medicine/Reproductive Psychiatry and Integrative Holistic Medicine, and practices Functional Medicine, a root-cause approach to illness as a manifestation of multiple-interrelated systems. After studying Cognitive Neuroscience at M.I.T., and receiving her M.D. from Cornell University, she completed her residency and fellowship at Bellevue/NYU. She is one of the nation’s only physicians with perinatal psychiatric training who takes a holistic evidence-based approach in the care of patients with a focus on environmental medicine and nutrition. She is also a mom of two, and an active supporter of women's birth experience. She is the Medical Director for Fearless Parent, and an advisory board member for GreenMedInfo.com. Visit her website.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of GreenMedInfo or its staff.
Internal Site Commenting is limited to members

Disqus commenting is available to everyone.

5 comments:

Leah Hart said...

I believed God has sent dr onokun to help people out from this horrible virus. i was diagnosis with hpv for 3 years, few months ago a friend introduced me to dr onokun and i only took his natural treatment for a week & 3 days, and i totally got cured with his herbal treatment. if you are suffering from hpv, you don't have to be roaming round dr onokun email is been attached to contact him on email: dronokunherbalcure@gmail.com

vivian hulett said...

HOW I GOT CURED FROM HPV WARTS VIRUS
Dr. LUCKY herbal medicine is a good remedy for HPV WARTS , I was browsing through the Internet searching for remedy on HPV WARTS cure and i saw comment of people talking about how Dr. LUCKY cure them from HPV WARTS, I decided to contact, I contacted him and he guided me. I asked him for solutions and he started the remedies for my health. Thank God, now everything is fine, I’m cured by Dr. LUCKY herbal medicine, I’m very thankful to Dr. LUCKY , reach him on (drluckyherbalcure@gmail.com) WHATSAPP HIM VIA +2348154637647

monika love said...

I has suffered for Human papillomavirus HPV) for 2years, I was given some tablets at the hospital but I refused to take it, They said I have to be on it for life so I don't want take a drugs everyday for life. No point in taking medicine everyday when u won't get cure from it and I was advice to seek for natural herbal cure, after some time I found dr onokun is the most trustful herbalist that have herbs to cure wicked symptom's,I emailed dr onokun, for 2weeks been his patient he cured my (HPV) with his herbal. I only used his natural herbs for two weeks it was 100% cure. I'm not (HPV) patient anymore. I'm happy about it i finally got cured out of this mess been in my body for 2years. I also recommend you if you're living with (HPV) or herpes symptoms i also want you to be free contact dr onokun with the email. Dronokunherbalcure@gmail.com

Cookie Walker said...

Hello! I'm very excited to inform everyone that I'm completely cured from my HSV 1&2 recently. I have used Oregano oil, Coconut oil, Acyclovir, Valacyclovir, Famciclovir, and some other products and it's really help during my outbreaks but I totally got cured! from my HSV with a strong and active herbal medicine ordered from a powerful herbalist and it completely fought the virus from my nervous system and I was tested negative after 12 days of using the herbal medicine. I'm here to let y'all know that herpes virus has a complete cure, I got rid of mine with the help of Dr Oyagu and his herbal exploit. Contact him via email: oyaguherbalhome@gmail.com call or whatsApp him on +2348101755322.

Shane Mashego said...

HOW I GOT RID OF MY HERPES Virus WITH THE HELP OF DR Aire.    Greetings to the general public, i want to inform the general public how i was cured of HERPES Simplex Virus by a Doctor called Dr Aire. i visited different hospital but they gave me list of drugs like Famvir, Zovirax, and is Valtrex which is very expensive to treat the symptoms and never cured me. I was browsing through the Internet searching for remedy on HERPES and I saw comment of people talking about how Doctor Dr Aire cured them. when i contacted him he gave me hope and send a Herbal medicine to me that i took as instructed and it seriously worked for me, i am a free person now without problem, my HERPES result came out negative. I pray for you Dr Aire God will give you everlasting life, you shall not die before your time for being a sincere and great man. Am so happy, you can also contact him if you have any problem like HIV/AID, CANCER,HERPATITIS,DIABETES,HPV,INFECTION ETC. Reach him on his  Email Address at=== drairehome@gmail.com  or you can contact him on WHATSAPP FOR EASY ACCESS at +2347036740271